I've hunted with handguns before, but with no joy. My buddy has the gun that you mention in a 6" barrel and he loves it. He uses Remington 240gr hollow points and hasn't lost a deer yet. If recoil is a concern go with a 210gr HP. Some people prefer iron sights, but scopes have spoilt me. It will be purely your personal preference. What may work best for others may not for you. I advise finding a handgun with a scope and see what you think about it first hand.

I owned a Thompson Contender Super 14" chambered in .44 Rem. Mag. and loved the gun. I had it topped with a Simmons 2.5x7x32 scope and at 75 yards I could put them all within a .75" group. Granted, that was from a rest. Freehanded, those groups opened up dramatically!

Ask yourself what's the furthest shot you'll be taking. If you keep them under 100 yards, the 6" barrel will be plenty. I wouldn't advise taking shots over 100 with a handgun any how. The longer barrels are pretty (my favorite) but get heavy after a day of walking the soybean fields of south Georgia.